Pro-Palestine protest before Italy v Israel match ends in clashes | OneFootball

The police dispersed pro-Palestinian protesters with water cannons who, at the end of a demonstration in the streets of Udine, intended to head to the stadium of the match between Italy and Israel.

Dozens of protesters, some armed with wooden sticks, attempted to leave the designated protest area and were detained by police. Firecrackers were also thrown, and the police used water cannons.

The incidents occurred at the end of a demonstration that gathered thousands of people, while, a few kilometers away, Italy and Israel faced off in the European Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

The protesters marched through the streets of Udine to protest “against the Israeli genocide.” The protests took place peacefully, under a strong security scheme, which, according to local authorities, included more than 1,000 police officers and military personnel, as well as helicopters and drones.

The participants displayed Palestinian flags, posters denouncing the death of children, and red cards, in reference to football rules, “against the genocide.”

The ceasefire agreement in Gaza signed on Monday and the exchange of hostages and prisoners between Israel and Hamas did not lessen the determination of the protesters.

Checkpoints were also set up around the Bluenergy stadium, and spectators of the match had to pass through concrete barriers and metal detectors to watch a crucial game for Italy in their quest for a spot in next year's World Cup.

Request for Exclusion

“We are happy that the bombings have stopped, but our message goes beyond Gaza: we are against the policy of occupation and apartheid that affects all Palestinians,” a member of the Udine Committee for Palestine told AFP.

This association is one of the five that organized the demonstration, supported by more than 340 activist groups from all over Italy.

The organizers also called on FIFA to exclude Israel from international competitions, “as was done with Russia,” following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.